Ontario CCLOW Ottawa sponsored a meeting on the Charter of Rights at which the slide and tape show was presented. An all-day session was held to "clarify values" and "vision the future," as a preparatory step to examining a feminist approach to policy development and preparing a submission to Michael Wilson et al. The Ontario Women's Directorate has rejected a funding proposal ($24,300) from the Ottawa group to undertake a follow-up study of women who have taken education/training programs specifically designed for women. As a result of two meetings with Algonquin College senior management, CCLOW Ottawa has been invited to advise the College on its evaluation criteria for programs for women and has suggested that women sit on all of the advisory committees. For the past year, we've been supporting the creation of an Ottawa Women's Information and Referral Service and would be interested in current information on any other successful women's centers. In Toronto, an invitational flyer in WEDF drew a response from some 20 women. An enthusiastic organizing committee of members held a luncheon meeting in February. Speaker, Kathleen O'Neil, a labor lawyer and NAC Southern Ontario representative, discussed the trends the new government is developing in dealing with women's issues. She emphasized the necessity of helping government to broaden its definition of equality, and observed the tendency to see equality in a narrow legalistic sense which, if maintained, will reduce or even eliminate the impact of Section 15 (the equality clause) of the Charter of Rights. The group decided to focus its program on developing policy and action initiatives to make women's voices and views unmistakably clear to public and government alike. Regular monthly meetings are planned. Toronto CCLOW activists have been participating with other women's groups in the Committee for Alternative Training and Education for Women. This committee is seeking funding to hire two people to do a six-month feasibility study. They will examine the possibility of establishing an umbrella Training Institute, which would assist women's community-based training programs with coordination, expansion and funding. |
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